PREZ BHANDARI DISSOLVES NEPAL PARLIAMENT
Kathmandu: Nepal's President dissolved the House of Representatives on Saturday for the second time in five months and announced snap polls in November.
Nepal's President dissolved the House of Representatives on Saturday for the second time in five months and announced snap elections in November, rejecting both embattled Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and the Opposition alliance's claims to form a government, a move that will be legally challenged yet again.
President Bidya Devi Bhandari announced in an early morning statement that the House of Representatives has been dissolved in accordance with Article 76(7) of the Constitution, ending a day of high-voltage political drama in the Himalayan nation, amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic.
As per the Article, a date to conduct another election within six months must also be fixed. The President has called early elections pursuant to the Article, the dates being set for November 12 and November 19. The announcement came after PriOli in his last dealsealing move on Friday midnight recommended the Office of the President to dissolve the 275-member House and announce dates for early elections.
"It has been noted that Oli counted those lawmakers as his supporters who extended support to the Opposition alliance, whereas the UML and JSP-N have forwarded letters stating action would be taken against those who had gone against the party to endorse the Opposition's claim," Bhandari said.
The President’s announcement plunged Nepal into further political crisis, a reminder of her December 2020 decision when she first dissolved the House at
Oli's recommendation.
Alarmed by the duo's move yet again, the leaders of Nepal's Oppn alliance on Saturday decided to take all legal and political means to counter Oli and Bhandari's "unconstitutional, undemocratic and arbitrary” move.
In a joint statement, the Opposition leaders expressed their commitment to unitedly defend the constitutional rights of Nepali citizens achieved at the end of years of political struggle.
They appealed to all political and civil forces to condemn and stand against the Oli-Bhandari duo's regressive, autocratic intentions. The statement was signed by Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, CPN-Maoist Centre Chair
Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda', CPN-UML leader Madhav Kumar Nepal, Chairperson of Janata Samajbadi PartyNepal Upendra Yadav and Vice-Chair of the Rastriya Janamorcha Durga Paudel.
The Opposition alliance is devising a strategy to approach the Supreme Court with all its lawmakers on Sunday demanding to scrap the president's decision.
The parties blamed the president for making an assault on the Constitution and democracy in partnership with the prime minister, who had lost a trust vote in the House.
"The President should have appointed NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba as per Article 76 (5) of the Constitution as he had the support of 149 lawmakers of the lower house of parliament," My Republica website quoted the alliance's statement.